BECHTELSVILLE, PA September 16, 2017. . . Seasoned veteran
Ryan Beltz fought it out with youngster Ryan Lilick right down to the
wire to go on and claim a very popular win, Friday night at Grandview
Speedway in Bechtelsville, PA, pocketing $1,500 for his triumph in the
fourth annual Sportsman Freedom 38’er. With his win, the 43-year-old
Beltz became the 13th different driver to earn a Sportsman feature win
this season, taking his first win this season, the second of his career
and his first since May 28, 2016. The win makes Beltz the fourth
different driver to win the event in its four-year race history.

In a companion 25-lap feature event for the Mid-Atlantic 305
Sprint Series at the high-banked third-mile dirt track, a dominating
triumph was scored by Kyle Smith in his first visit ever to the track.

“I am certain I drove the only four coil car at the track
tonight to victory,” announced Beltz, following a roof dance in victory
lane. “I’ve got to give thanks to Ryan Watt for all the help he has
given us this season, plus Bicknell Race Cars. We just went back to
basics tonight. We had a different engine in and just haven’t had a lot
of luck here the last few weeks. We had a good race car and everything
just came together for us here tonight.”

Following the heat races the top 20 qualified cars, all,
picked for spots in a blind draw, with Brian Hirthler, 35, out of
Perkiomenville, PA picking the pole to start, with former 358 Modified
racer Doug Pannepacker pulling outside the front row. Beltz picked third
to start in the 26-car starting field.

With the green waved by starter Ray Kemp it was Hirthler
setting the early pace aboard his self-owned No. 4* Four Star Letting
Sportsman mount over Pannepacker and Beltz through the first five tours.
On lap 6 it was Beltz moving into the runner-up role, dropping
Pannepacker to third.

With seven in the record books, Hirthler had nearly a full
straightaway lead over Beltz, steering his self-owned KAM Fueled Racing
No. 221 entry.

Craig Whitmoyer, 42, of Hamburg, PA, who won the event back
in 2015 and started from eighth Friday night, was on the move and by lap
13 he advanced into fourth-place behind Beltz and Pannepacker. A lap 19
caution slowed things and regrouped the field, erasing the big lead
held by Hirthler.

When racing resumed it was Hirthler out in front again over
Whitmoyer, who ducked underneath Beltz through turn 3 on the restart,
and Beltz now running in third. Pannepacker fell back to fourth, with
Lilick, who started fourteenth, moving to fifth.

By lap 25 Hirthler again started to pull away, holding a comfortable lead.

Lilick began to pick off positions and took fourth with seven
circuits to go. A lap later, Whitmoyer saw his night come to an early
end when his motor expired in a huge cloud of smoke to bring out the
caution with six to go.

On the double-file restart Hirthler selected to start from
the outside, putting Beltz on the bottom. With the green, it was Beltz
outgunning Hirthler and becoming the new race leader for lap 33. Lilick
advanced to third and took second a lap later, as Hirthler dropped back
to third.

“He kept picking the top on the restarts and I just kept
praying, eventually, I’d get the jump and we did,” Beltz said.
“Everybody was going to the top and I figured, eventually, they’d rub
everything away up on top and I still had good grip on the bottom. I got
a good run on him the previous restart, but he held on.”

With a lap remaining, Lilick hit Beltz hard, but Beltz held on, as they battled for the win.

“When he hit me I wound up losing my brakes. That last lap I
was driving it balls to the wall or else without brakes,” explained the
driver out of Schwenksville, PA. “I figured at the end if he went high
I’d go low and if he stayed low I’d go high. I wasn’t about to give it
away and settle for second.”

Racing through turns 3 and 4 with the checkered waving,
Lilick drifted up to the top to protect, as Beltz drove it in on the
bottom. Beltz had the edge exiting turn 4 and crossed the line first,
winning by a narrow margin over Lilick at the line.

Third went to Hirthler, trailed by Brad Grim, Brett Gilmore
and Brian Papiez, who started the event from 21st with the original
green.

Heat races for 50 Sportsman entries were won by Hirthler,
Mike Lisowski, Ryan Higgs and Beltz. Twin consolations went out to
Papiez and Matt Stangle.

In the 25-lap Mid-Atlantic Sprint Series (MASS) feature race
it was Brian Krummel, who started outside the front row taking the early
lead over pole sitter Steph Carberry and third-starter Austin Bishop.
By lap 6, Krummel held a safe lead.

Lap 12 it was still Krummel setting a torrid pace, as Bishop
slipped into second, as the leaders raced through heavy slower, lapped
traffic. Carberry fell into third. A lap later, Samantha Lieberman spun
out in turn 3, as Bishop tried to avoid the spinning car. Bishop darted
to the outside and smacked the boiler plate wall hard to bring out the
red at the crossed flags.

With the restart it was Carberry outracing Krummel off turn 4
to become the new race leader. Smith roared into second spot, with
Krummel falling to third. Smith quickly went by Carberry to become the
new race leader, with Carberry dropping to second on lap 15. A lap later
Krummel spun it out in turn 2 to bring out a caution.

Smith retook the top spot in front of Carberry and by lap 21
Smith was nearly a full straightaway out in front of Carberry. Eddie
Wagner was running third, with Dave Brown now fourth.